27 Sep 2019

Sports NZ shifts to greater emphasis on play

From Morning Report, 6:17 am on 27 September 2019

A worrying decline in the number of children and teenagers taking part in physical activity has prompted Sport New Zealand to move to a greater focus on the importance of play when young. But boss Peter Miskimmin says this won't affect New Zealand being a strong sporting nation. He says Sport NZ needs to address a problem which shows that 96 percent of 12 to 14 year olds are active for an average of 12 hours a week but that figure drops off markedly when they reach 18 to 24. He told sports editor Stephen Hewson the definition of sport is changing.